Coronary artery disease is a major problem in the U.S. and throughout the world. Coronary arteries as well as other blood vessels frequently become clogged with plaque, which at the very least impairs the efficiency of the heart's pumping action, and can lead to heart attack and death. In some cases, these arteries can be unblocked through noninvasive techniques such as balloon angioplasty. In more difficult cases, a bypass of the blocked vessel is necessary.
In a bypass operation, one or more venous segments are inserted between the aorta and the coronary artery. The inserted venous segments or transplants act as a bypass of the blocked portion of the coronary artery and thus provide for a free or unobstructed flow of blood to the heart. More than 500,000 bypass procedures are performed in the U.S. every year.
Such coronary artery bypass surgery, however, is a very intrusive procedure that is expensive, time-consuming and traumatic to the patient. The operation requires an incision through the patient's sternum (stemotomy), and that the patient be placed on a bypass pump so that the heart can be operated on while not beating. A vein graft is harvested from the patient's leg, another highly invasive procedure, and a delicate surgical procedure is required to piece the bypass graft to the coronary artery (anastomosis). Hospital stays subsequent to the surgery and convalescence are prolonged.
As mentioned above, another conventional treatment is percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) or other types of angioplasty. However, such vascular treatments are not always indicated due to the type or location of the blockage, or due to the risk of emboli.
Thus, there is a need for an improved bypass system which is less traumatic to the patient.